Clutch operating mechanism for machine tool feed control devices



April 10, 1934.

H. w. HUNT 1 CLUTCH OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOL FEED CONTROL-DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 22, 1927 INVENTOR BY M ATTORNEYJ H. W. HUNT April 10, 1934.

CLUTCH OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MACHINE -TOOL FEED CONTROL DEVICES Filed Nov. 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zia III

a an a 3 @R g 67/ AAAAAIIIEZZII:2:... .2... M 7 7 /A/ /%@MH A TTORNEYU' Patented Apr. 10, 1934 PATENT OFFICE CLUTCH OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MA- CHINE TOOL FEED. CONTROL DEVICES Howard W. Hunt, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The G. A. Gray Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 22, 1927 Serial No. 235,051

4 Claims.

I This invention relates broadly to machine tools, and more particularly to clutch operated feed controlling mechanisms for controlling the feed movements of twoor more tool carrying elements which are both actuated by one shaft.

Planers and other machine-tools are frequently provided with two or more heads or tool holding elements which move longitudinally'along a support often called a rail. A splined shaft extending along this rail is keyed to separate feed mechanisms in each of these heads. It is often desired to actuate one or another or both of these feed mechanisms, or to actuate none of them, in accordance with the nature of the work. It is frequently inconvenient, especially on large machine tools, to have the handle or other part which operates the member which connects and disconnects the feed mechanism, located in the head itself.

It is primarily the object of my invention to provide means by which a manually operated shaft parallel with the feed drive shaft, will actuate the several feedconnecting mechanisms,-the shaft being rotatable to different positions according to the combination of feeds which it is desired to engage. The above and other objects to whichreference will be made in the following description I accomplish by that combination and arrangement of parts of whichI have shown a preferred embodiment in a metal planer.

Inthe accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rail of a planer having two heads.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the preferred type of cam which I employ in my control mechanism.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the intermittent clutch operating mechanism shown in Figure 5.

Figure 4 is a section through one of the heads as indicated by line 44= in Figure 5, showing the method of feeding the head.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic section through the head and rail showing the method of controlling the feed mechanism.

Figures 6, '7, and 8 show different positions of the cam mechanism.

Figure 9 is a detail perspective view of part of the end rail sleeve.

Figure 10 is a similar view of part of the handle.

I haveshown the rail of a planer at 1 and have indicated at 2 the saddle which is slidably gibbed to the rail. The swivel or harp 3 swivels upon the face-of the: saddle to permit the tool to be fed in a vertical or angular direction. The slide 4 is gibbed to the harp and mechanism is pro-v vided for feeding. the slide. in a vertical or angular direction. The tool box or clapper box isindicated at 5, and the tool apron or clapper 6 is shown with a tool 7 clamped. therewith. The slide 4 is provided with a nut 8 which is fastened to the slide by'astud 8a.. An elevating screw 9 engages the nut 8. and by its rotation movesthe. slide along the harp. Screw 9 is journaled for rotary movement in the harp, but is restrained from moving endways relative to the harp by the collars 9a.

To the screw 9 is pinned the bevel gear 10 which meshes with and is driven by a bevel. gear 11 which is fixedly mounted. on a shaft 12 journaled in the saddle 2. On the other end of the shaft 12 a bevel gear. 13 is keyed which in turn mesheswith and is driven bya bevel gear.14 which is slidably but non-rotataby mounted upon the shaft 15 which is commony known as the feed. rod. The mechanism thus. far described is of conventional construction and. forms no part of my invention. The bevel gear 14 is provided with along hub 14a which is journaled in a bearing 16, so that it can turn freely within the bearing. This hub is provided with clutch teeth 14b at one end. A clutch memberl? is slidably. keyed to the shaft .15 and compelled to rotate with it. The clutch memberl'? is provided with clutch teeth 17a adapted to engage theclutch teeth 14b on bevel gear 14, so that when these teeth are engaged intermittent, rotation of the shaft 15, producedxby appropriate ratchet mechanism in the usual. manner, will cause the gear 14 to also rotate intermittently, and so move the slide and tool intermittently, in accordance with the requirements of the work.

Clutch teeth 17a are pushed into engagement with clutch teeth 14a by spring pressure in the following manner: The clutch member 17 is acted upon by spring retainer 18. shown in section in Figure 3. The flanged end of the clutch member 17 is loosely mounted in a recessed portion of the spring retainer 18*so that the end 17b of the clutch member 17 is engagedby one face 18a. of a shoulder 18a of the retainer 18. The other face 181) of the shoulder 18e against which a spring 19 presses serves to keep the spring. retainer in contact withthe clutch'shoulder; The fixed end of the spring 19 bears against a shoulder on a bracket 20, which is secured on the saddle 2.

When the feed mechanism of the head is not engaged the. clutch member 1'7 is, held out of engagement against the spring pressure by a cam member 21 which has gear. teeth 2141. cut

on its periphery, and which is rotatably mounted upon the clutch member 17. The cam member has cam faces 21b cut at one end. These cam faces coact with cam faces 16a out on bearing 16, so that as cam member 21 is rotated the action of these cam faces pushes the cam member 21 to the right as shown in the drawings. The face 210 of the cam member bears against the end 180 of the spring retainer 18 so that the spring 19 pushes the cam faces together. When the cam member 21 moves to the right as indicated it forces the spring retainer 18 to the right, thereby compressing the spring 19. Lugs 18d formed in the bracket 20 are engaged by corresponding slots in the spring retainer 18, so that the member 18 is prevented from rotating, but is free to move axially with relation to the shaft 15. The flanged end 17b of the clutch member 1'7 is loosely fitted between the shoulders 21d and 18a so that no binding occurs between the stationary parts 18 and 21, and the intermittently revolving part 17.

Referring to Figure 6, which shows the two cams in separated position, rotating the cam member 21 so that the cam faces 21b move up wardly, as shown in this figure will cause it to slide into the position shown in Figure '2, while further rotation will permit it to slide into the position shown in Figure 8. When it is in the latter position the teeth 14!; and 17a, of the member 1414a, and 1'7 are engaged, while when it is in the position shown in Figure 6, these teeth are disengaged.

It will be seen that if the cam member 21 be rotated so as to allow these teeth to engage, but with the clutch teeth 14b and 170. so aligned that the teeth cannot engage, the intermittent rotation of clutch member 17 will bring the teeth into engaging position, so that the spring 19 will force the teeth into engagement automatically.

In order to rotate cam 21 in a convenient manner, I provide a second shaft 22 parallel with feed rod 15. To this shaft is slidably keyed the gear 23 which meshes with the teeth out on the cam member 21. The gear 23 is provided with an extended hub 23a which is journaled in the bearing 16. The collar 231) on the hub 23a bears against the bearing 16, causing the gear 23 to slide along shaft 22 with the bearing 16 and the remainder of the mechanism, so that it remains in mesh with the cam member 21 as the saddle and its associated parts slide along the rail.

The shaft 22 extends through the end of the rail where a handle is affixed to it, so that it may be rotated manually to any desired position. If it is not convenient to extend shaft 22 through the end of the rail, because of other mechanism located there, this shaft may be provided with a second gear 24 which is keyed fast to it, and which may be actuated by a suitable gear train such as idler 26 and pinion 2'7. The size and location of these gears may be such that the shaft 25 to which the pinion 27 is keyed, may be brought out through the end of the rail at such a point as not to interfere with the feed mechanism, or with other parts located there.

In order to set the shaft 22 and the cams in any desired position I make use of the following arrangement. The shaft 25 passes through the sleeve 28 which is screwed to the end of the rail 1. A handle 30 is provided with a projecting tooth 30a which selectively engages one of four equally spaced notches 28a in the end of sleeve 28. A spring 29 presses the shaft 25 to the left as indicated, so that the tooth 30a is normally held in whatever notch it is placed. This tooth is provided with sloping sides, as are also the four notches, so that when the handle 30 is turned the tooth 30a is forced out of the notch in which it is disposed, and against the action of spring 29,

and slides into the next notch as the handle is turned. By turning handle 30 until the tooth 30a engages the proper notch, the shaft 25 and the shaft 22 will be held in the required position. If desired, the shaft 22 may be provided with a handle at the left hand end, so that it may be turned to any desired position from either end of the rail.

Referring again to Figures 6, '7, and 8, it will be seen that as the cam member 21 rotates through 360 degrees there are two positions in which the clutch members will be fully engaged and two positions in which the clutch members will be fully disengaged. The cam member 21 will rotate through a considerable angle with the clutch members in the disengaged position, and also through a considerable angle with the clutch members in the engaged position. By making the number of teeth in pinion 23 one-half the number of teeth out on the periphery of cam 21, a complete rotation of shaft 22 will give one half of a complete rotation of cam member 21.

There are two heads on the rail, each head provided with similar mechanism. Considering the clutches in either head, during somewhat less than one-half of a revolution of the shaft 22, the clutches will be engaged, and during somewhat less than the next half of a revolution of shaft 22, the clutches will be disengaged. If the mechanism in one head be set one-quarter of a revolution of shaft 22 in advance of or behind the mechanism in the other head, the periods of engagement or disengagement of the two sets of clutches are made to overlap. In one position of the shaft 22 the clutches of both heads will be disengaged. If the shaft 22 be turned onequarter of a revolution the right hand head will become engaged while the left hand head remains disengaged. If it is turned another quarter of a revolution both heads will be engaged, and if it is turned another quarter of a revolution, the right hand head will be disengaged and the left hand head remain engaged. In the next revolution of shaft 22 the same series of events will occur. Thus, by turning shaft 22 to a suitable angular position, the feed mechanism in either or both heads may be engaged or disengaged.

Having thus described my invention, I do not wish to limit the invention to the exact form shown, but claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following:

1. The combination with a rotary transmission member having a clutch part, of a clutch member movable axially into and out of engagement with said clutch part to intermittently drive the same, means normally urging said clutch member into engagement with said clutch part, an element rotatably mounted on said clutch member for independent rotation thereabout, means associated with said element for causing alternate lateral movement of the same in opposite directions upon continued rotation of said element in one direction, there being a shoulder on said clutch member adapted to be engaged by said element to cause said clutch member to be moved out of engagement with said clutch part against the action of said instrumentalities when said element is moved laterally in one direction, and manual means for rotating said element.

2. In a clutch operating mechanism for machine tool feed control devices, a shaft, a rotatable member axially movable on said shaft, a clutch member slidably keyed to said shaft and adapted to be moved into engagement with the rotatable member to drive the same, instrumentalities normally urging said clutch member into engagement with said rotatable member, a cam member co-axial with said clutch member having gear teeth formed on its periphery and adapted upon rotation to control the movement of the clutch member into and out of engagement with said rotatable member, a rotatable shaft parallel with said first mentioned shaft, a gear having teeth thereon meshing with the teeth on said cam member, said gear being slidably keyed to said last mentioned shaft, and means for moving said gear axially of said last mentioned shaft to maintain the teeth thereon in constant mesh with the teeth on said cam member.

3. In a feed mechanism a feed rod having a rotatable member thereon adapted to transmit motion, a clutch member keyed to said feed rod and movable axially into and out of engagement with said rotatable member to cause intermittent driving of the same, a cam member journaled on said clutch member and adapted upon rotation in one direction to control the movement of said clutch member into and out of engagement with said rotatable member, said cam member having teeth formed on the periphery thereof, a shaft parallel to said feed rod, a gear slidably keyed to said shaft, said gear having teeth thereon meshing with the teeth on said cam member, and a thrust element disposed between said rotatable member and gear for moving said gear axially of said shaft to maintain the teeth thereof in constant engagement with the teeth on said cam member.

4. In amechanism for operating the clutch of a machine tool feed control device in which there is a feed rod and the clutch members are slidable along the feed rod and one clutch member is slidable into and out of clutching contact with the other on said feed rod, said one member being held for rotation with the feed rod and the other member being free from rotation with the feed rod except upon said clutching contact, comprising cam elements relatively rotatable coaxially of said feed rod with mutually engaging cam surfaces alternately causing one of said elements to slide from the other or permitting it to approach the other upon their relative rotation, said one cam element engaging said one clutch member to slide it in one direction or to slide in the opposite direction therewith, means for causing the one clutch member to slide in the opposite direction, an operating shaft extending along said feed rod, and means slidable along said operating shaft with said cam elements, operatively connecting one of said cam elements with said operating shaft for rotation thereby.

HOWARD W. HUNT. 

